#12. Letters of complaint

1. Letters of complaint

Write a complaint letter.

Always try to resolve a problem with a business before seeking help from the ACCC. You can do this by speaking directly with the salesperson or manager or if this fails, by writing a complaint letter or email.

• What to include in a complaint letter
• Complaint letter template
• Complaint letter example
• If it’s not right, use your rights
• More information

What to incluede in a complaint letter

When writing a complaint letter you should:

• describe your problem and the outcome you want
• include key dates, such as when you purchased the goods or services and when the problem occurred
• identify what action you’ve already taken to fix the problem and what you will do if you and the seller cannot resolve the problem
• ask for a response within a reasonable time
• attach a copy of any supporting relevant documentation such as a receipt or invoice.

Complaint letter template

Below is a complaint letter template. You can use this outline, or our email template(link sends e-mail), to help you write a complaint letter (although you may wish to vary it to fit your particular problem).

[Your name]

[Your address]

[Email and/or phone]

Dear Manager

Re: COMPLAINT ABOUT [INSERT NAME OF PRODUCT OR SERVICE] PURCHASED AT [INSERT BUSINESS NAME] ON [INSERT DATE]

State that you have a problem with goods or services bought from the business at a particular location and date and that you want the problem fixed.

Explain the key details of the problem including when you discovered it and any other steps you’ve already taken to get it fixed, such as a telephone call or a visit to the store. Note who you spoke to and any results of your efforts.

State that you have enclosed copies of relevant documents, such as a receipt of bank statement for proof of purchase.

State the steps you want the business to take to fix the problem.

State that you expect to hear from the business with a solution by [insert date or within 10 days]. Describe what you intend to do if the business fails to fix the problem—such as making a formal complaint to the ACCC or the consumer protection agency in your state or territory.

List your business and after hours contact details.

Yours sincerely

[Your name]

Enclosed: Copy of the receipt for [insert name of product or service]

Complaint Letter Exampe

Below is an example of a possible finished letter using the complaint letter template.

Jane Brown
123 Street

jane@brown.com.au

1 January 2013

Dear Manager

RE: COMPLAINT ABOUT FAULTY TELEVISION CABINET PURCHASED AT CABINET WORLD ON 15 DECEMBER 2012

I am unhappy with the quality of a television cabinet I bought at 5 Street on 15 December and I am writing to seek a replacement.

The cabinet doors do not open and shut properly and the stain on the cabinet is uneven, with one half darker than the other. The cabinet was delivered on 30 December and I noticed this problem as soon as I unpacked it from the box.

The cabinet  is not of acceptable quality and does not match the sample cabinet I was shown in store. I would like you to replace it with one of the same quality and finish as the sample and arrange for return of the faulty cabinet at no cost.

I have attached a photocopy of my receipt as proof of purchase.

I would like to have this problem fixed quickly please. If I do not hear from you within 10 days, I will lodge a formal complaint with Consumer Affairs in my state.

You can contact me on 1234 5678 during working hours or after hours on 123 456 789 to discuss this matter further.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Brown

2. Replies to letters of complaint

Dealing with Complaints | Acknowledging receipt of a complaint letter |
| Accepting a Complaint | Apology for the error or fault | Accepting the Complaint		| Rejecting a Complaint | Regret at dissatisfaction | Rejecting responsibility for the problem leading to the complaint
|		|
|	|	|
A short explanation of the fault	Investigation  to be made	Reasons for the rejection
|	|	|
|		|
| Proposal to settle the difficulty |
| An offer to take goods back, make a replacement, give a discount etc.		| If a third party (another person or organisation) is to blame, direct the complainer to that party
|		|
| A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer

Useful Expressions

Acknowledging receipt of a complaint letter

• Thank you for your letter of … regarding / concerning / in connection with …
• I refer to your letter of … about / relating to …

Apology for the error or fault

• We must apologise for …
• We sincerely apologise for …
• Please accept our apologies for …
• I would like to apologise for the error made by our company in (verb+ing)

Accepting the Complaint

• We agree that the usual high standards of our products / services were not met in this instance.

A short explanation of the fault

• Introductory phrase
• As a result of our investigation, we found that... (Not: After our investigation...)
• Causes
• The error was caused by … / was due to …
• Apparently, the problem was the result of … / resulted from …
• The cause of / reason for the mistake was …
• Effects
• As a result …
• This led to …
• Consequently …
• Solutions
• We have modified / changed our ...
• We have implemented a system to...
• To prevent re-occurrences we have set up a verification procedure.
• Assurances
• We assure you that this will not happen again.

Investigation to be made

o    We are currently investigating the cause of ...

o    We will investigate the cause of...

Proposal to settle the difficulty

• As a gesture of our regret, we are prepared to …/ we are willing to …/ we would like to …
• To show goodwill, we will …

An offer to take goods back, make a replacement, give a discount etc.

• We have dispatched the new items by express courier. They should arrive by Monday, 23 May 2016.
• To show our goodwill, we would like to offer you a 5% discount on your next order with us.

Regret at dissatisfaction

• While we can understand your frustration, ...
• We understand how disappointing it can be when your expectations are not met.

Rejecting responsibility for the problem leading to the complaint

• I regret to inform you that …
• I am afraid that …
• Unfortunately, I must point out that …

Reasons for the rejection

• This is because the guarantee period has expired.
• This is due to the fact that the guarantee period has expired.

If a third party (another person or organisation) is to blame, direct the complainer to that party

• We therefore suggest that you contact...

A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer

• We look forward to receiving your further orders, and assure you that they will be filled correctly / promptly.

Example Letters

Everlong Batteries 171 Choi Hung Road Hung Hon, Hong Kong Tel/Fax 2235 2449 18 May 2016  Mr J Wong Purchasing Officer Fortune Goods 317 Orchard Road Singapore Dear Mr Wong Order No. 2639/L Please accept our apologies for the error made by our company in filling your order no. 2639/L dated Friday, 13 May 2016. You ordered 12,000 size Ultra super-long-life premium batteries, but our dispatch office sent 1,200. This was due to a typing error. The balance of 10,800 batteries was dispatched by express courier to your store this morning and will arrive by Thursday, 26 May 2016. Since we value your business, we would like to offer you a 10% discount off your next order with us. We look forward to receiving your further orders and assure you that they will be filled correctly. Yours sincerely    David Choi David Choi Distributions Manager

Everlong Batteries 171 Choi Hung Road Hung Hon, Hong Kong Tel/Fax (852) 2235 2449 18 May 2016  Mr J Wong Purchasing Officer Fortune Goods 317 Orchard Road Singapore Dear Mr Wong Order No. 2639/L Thank you for your letter of Friday, 13 May 2016 regarding your order no. 2639/L. We understand that this is a difficult situation for you. We have investigated the situation, and found that you ordered 12,00 size Ultra super-long-life premium batteries. Please see the enclosed copy of your order form. Our dispatch office therefore sent 1,200. If you need the remaining batteries urgently, the balance of 10,800 batteries can be dispatched today by express courier to your store and would arrive byThursday, 26 May 2016. Please phone me at the number given above if you would like to order these batteries. We look forward to receiving your further orders. Yours sincerely    David Choi David Choi Distributions Manager Encl:  - Order Form No. 2639/L

Source: http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eiw/adjustmentletters.htm

Source: https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/complaints-problems/write-a-complaint-letter

Source: https://www.scribendi.com/advice/example_complaint_letter.en.html

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#11. Orders

1.              Confirmation of an order

Sample Confirmation of The Receipt of Order Letter

Getting to write a good receipt order confirmation letter

Once you have ordered goods from a particular store you will probably receive a confirmation letter n your orders. So this goes out to those companies starting business and looking for the best tips on writing a receipt of ordere letter to confirm goods ordered by your customer. While you will have to keep in consideration the following tips as stated below.

 

·         Formal – The letter to be written is formal, so it should be in a serious tone. It should a direct tone while writing to the consumer.

·         Dates – While writing the confirmation letter you should inform the recipient the dates you will be delivering there goods that they ordered form you.

·         Record – Show a reccord of the items bought that is the quantitiy and also the total price of the good ordered. Before writing the records, ensure first that you have informed the customer that you have received the payments on the goods.

·         Short and Precise – Be brief as you jot down the letter and make sure to go straight to the point and not to write logn unnecessary stories.

 

Example:

Mrs. Wendy Jhonson

Physical address: Nairobi, Kenya

P.O.BOX 62000-00200, Nairobi

5 May 2009.

 

Subject Letter of Confirming receipt of order.

 

To Win,

 

Dear Mrs. Winy,

This is a letter o confirm that you received the ordered for the following good that you purchased.

 

Item Purchased.

 

2.                  32’ Television

3.                  5 Piece carpet

4.                  Dish washer

5.                  Dining table

6.                  Matress

 

And we also write to inform you that we received the payments of the good which is total it KsHs 250.000 in form of a cheque on the 5 of June.

 

The items above will be deliveried within this week to where you had specified. Along with the delieveried attached documents necessary document will be attached with each item purchased.

 

Thank you for doing business with us. If there is any issue or you require clarification please contact us.

 

Sincerely,

 

John Peter 

 

 

2. A letter of apology

Here are examples of an apology where  you did not err:

I just learned from Tom that the rescheduling of our annual meeting affected your vacation plans.  We have four new products launching next year, and these will be presented at the meeting. I’m sure the scheduling was a disappointment for you, but I know the information will be very useful for you, and we need your expertise in the field next year.

I am sorry the reconstruction requires your department to share printing and copying resources for the next two months. It will cause delays for you during construction, so please accommodate this in your planning. Once the construction is complete, we’ll have 40% capacity increase, so the inconvenience is well worth it.

Here is an example of an apology where there is a need to admit liability:

Dear Suki:
I am sorry I missed your meeting this morning. I know I was scheduled to provide the staffing costs of your proposal, and I’m sorry I let you down.

As I mentioned when I called, my babysitter was ill and could not work, and my husband is out of town. I had to wait until my sister could arrive to babysit before I could leave for work.

I have emailed my staffing cost analysis to everyone in the meeting, and explained my absence and how this data supports your proposal. If there is anything else I can do to make up for my absence at your proposal, please let me know.

Please accept my apology.

Tamara

We all want to avoid unpleasant situations, but sending a note indicates you take the liability seriously, and are truly sorry. It conveys a sincerity that a simple phone call does not.

When you overstep, and say things you regret:

Dear Ashok:
I am sorry I overreacted yesterday to the news of my project team’s restructuring. I apologize for making inappropriate assumptions about your decision.

I realize since we talked that I depend on Caroline’s participation, and don’t want to lose her enthusiasm and expertise on my team. You are correct that she is ready for larger company projects.

I regret my comments, and you have my promise to fully support the team restructure. Please accept my apology.

Sincerely,

Kara

I’ve heard executives say they never want to document any errors in writing, but I disagree. Instead, this documents Kara’s realization and apology, in addition to enhancing her business relationship with Ashok.

Some Guidelines:

·         Overtly state you are sorry.  “I apologize.” “I’m sorry.” “I regret.”

·         Ask the reader to accept your apology.

·         Summarize what happened, to reflect your understanding.

·         Offer remedies, if this is needed.

·         Address only the apology in your note. Keep it to this one subject.

·         Don’t infer your reader was also to blame. Not: “I only wish you had been more clear my attendance was needed.” Address only your own actions.

·         Don’t blame anyone else. Not: “My team leader was unclear with his instructions, so I thought I was to present next week, not this week.”

·         Don’t globalize the issue. Apologize for this situation, at this time. Not: “I’m sorry I was late, but you rarely start meetings on time. I thought I would arrive before the meeting started.”

·         Most importantly, don’t use the common “sorry, but” formula. It’s insincere and makes you look angry. Not: “I’m sorry I overreacted, but you were not clear about your instructions.”

3. An Insurance claim

Sample Letter for an Insurance Claim

Mrs. Wendy Jhonson

Physical address: Nairobi, Kenya

P.O.BOX 62000-00200, Nairobi

5 May 2009.

 

To Insurace Departement

 

Dear Dir,

This is regarding the insurance claim for my car, My policy number is 9981234***

The Details of the accident are as given below:

I parked my vehicle in the parking area at my office. Unfortunately a delivery truck tried to park between two cars and hit my car from behind. The body form behind got smashed.

When I realized I immediately contacted your customer care and gave the details. I chechked all my insurance papers and realized that I am eligible for a claim of . . . . . . . Your Company sent a representative and field the report and they told that they will call me soon.

Regarding the insurance and will get the feedback from the company at the earliest, I would like to bring your notice that I didn’t get any correspondence from the company yet in spite of my reminders for last ten days.

Kindly look it and expecting a positive response at the earliest.

Thanking you.

Source: http://www.letters.org/claim-letter/letter-for-an-insurance-claim-sample.html

Source : http://www.instructionalsolutions.com/blog/bid/61944/I-Am-Sorry-How-to-Write-a-Business-Apology-Letter

Source: http://formalletter.net/formal-apology-letter-sample/

Source: http://www.letters.org/confirmation-letter/sample-confirmation-of-the-receipt-of-order-letter.html

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#10. Affirmative & Negative Agrement, Negation, Commands & Vocabulary and Reading

Affirmative & Negative Agreement : So,

Too, And

AFFIRMATIVE AGREEMENT (so. too. and also)

Sebenarnya kata so, too, dan also mempunyai arti yang sama yaitu juga, pula, pun. Tapi dalam penggunaannya terdapat perbedaan, so digunakan sebelum tobe(s) dan auxilliaries (kata bantu).

Example:

1.      My wife will talk to him and so will I

2.      My wife has talked about it, and so have I

3.      My wife talked about it, and so did I

4.      My wife is talking about it, and so am I

Sedangkan too dan also digunakan setelah tobe(s) dan auxilliaries.

Example:

1.      My wife will talk to him and I will too

2.      My wife has talked about it, and I have too

3.      My wife talked about it, and I did also

4.      My wife is talking about it, and I am also

NEGATIVE AGREEMENT (neither and either)

Hampir sama dengan penjelasan affirmative agreement di atas, neither dan either memiliki arti yang sama yaitu: tidak keduanya, atau kedua-duanya tidak. Untuk neither digunakan sebelum auxilliary verb, for example:

1.      My roommate won't go, and neither will I

2.     My roommate hasn't gone, and neither have I

3.      My roommate doesn't go, and neither do I

4.     My roommate isn't going, and neither am I

Dan untuk either digunakan setelah auxilliary verb dan kata "not", for example:

1.      My roommate won't go, and I won't(will not) either

2.      My roommate hasn't gone, and I haven't either

3.      My roommate doesn't go, and I don't either

4.      My roommate isn't going, and I am not either

Hal lain yang harus diperhatikan yaitu untuk pemakaian tobe dan auxilliaries setelah kata "..and.." harus sesuai dengan tobe dan auxilliaries yang digunakan di awal kalimat, seperti :

1.      My wife is talking about it, and so am I

2.      My wife has talked about it, and I have too

3.      My roommate won't go, and neither will I

4.      My roommate doesn't go, and I don't either

2.              Negation : Neither, Either, Hardly,

Barely, Rarely, Seldom, etc

NEGATION

Negation adalah bentuk pernyataan negatif. Walaupun hal ini tidak begitu asing, namun di bawah ini akan kami jelaskan bentuk-bentuk negation, atau bentuk-bentuk bagaimana membentuk suatu pernyataan negatif.

1.      Dengan Kata Kerja (VERB)

a.       With a simple form:
Subject + (The negative of the auxiliary DO (or MODALS)) + simple form.
Examples:
    - I don't  know
    - We didn't see (Not I didn't saw)
    - He couldn't stay

b.      With a past participle:
Subject + (The negative of the  auxiliaries BE or HAVE) + past participle.
Examples:
    - They haven't  seen
    - She wasn't driving
    - You hadn't forgotten

2.      Dengan Kata Benda (NOUN)
Jangan gunakan 2 kali Negation dalam 1 kalimat yang sama.
Contoh:

I do not see no evidence. (SALAH)

a.       Positive sentences:
No+ noun
Examples:
    - I see no evidence
    - No one is concerned

b.      Negative sentences: 
Examples:
    - I do not see any evidence
    - They are not concerned

Either and neither function in simple statement much like “so” and “”too” in affirmative sentences. However, either and neither are used to indicate negative agreement. The same rules for auxilaries, be and do, does or did apply.

Contoh Kalimat lainnya:

1.                   The manager isn’t too happy with the project, and neither is his assistant.

2.                   We can’t study in the library, and he can’t either.

3.                   You didn’t pay the taxes, and they didn’t either.

4.                   My Brother won’t accept my father’s decision, and my sister won’t either.

5.                   He doesn’t know the answer, and neither does she.

Negative statement + and + [ S + negative auxiliary or be + either]
Negative statement + and + [ neither + positive auxiliary or be + S ]
Examples:
I didn’t see Bella this morning. Edward didn’t see Bella this morning
I didn’t see Bella this morning and Edward didn’t either.
I didn’t see Bella this morning and neither did Edward.
Additional examples:
1. The children shouldn’t take that medicine, and neither should she.
2. We don’t plan to attend the concert, and neither do they.
3. I don’t like tennis, and he doesn’t either.
4. She didn’t see anyone she knew, and neither did Tim.
5. The Yankees couldn’t play due to the bad weather, and neither could the Angels.
6. Mary can’t type well, and her sister can’t either.
7. I’m not interested in reading that book, and neither is she.
8. They won’t have to work on weekends, and we won’t either.
9. I can’t stand listening to that music, and she can’t either.
10. Michael doesn’t speak English, and his family doesn’t either.
11. That scientist isn’t too happy with the project, and neither are her supervisors.
12. We can’t study in the library, and they can’t either.
13. I haven’t worked there long, and neither have you.
14. You didn’t pay the rent, and she didn’t either.
15. They didn’t want anything to drink, and neither did we.
16. John shouldn’t run so fast, and neither should you.
17. The students won’t accept the dean’s decision, and the faculty won’t either.
18. Your class hasn’t begun yet, and neither has mine.
19. She couldn’t attend the lecture, and her sister couldn’t either.
20. He didn’t know the answer, and neither did I

3.              Commands : Negative commands,

Negative Indirect Commands

COMMANDS (Kalimat Perintah)

Dalam bahasa inggris, kalimat perintah (Commands), selalu dimulai dengan kata kerja yang berbentuk“Infinitive – tanpa to” jika tidak ada kata kerja, kiat menggunakan “Be + Adjectives”

Contoh :

1.      Open your book!

2.      Clean the blackboard!

3.      Show me your book!

4.      Light a candle!

5.      Be careful!

NEGATIVE COMMANDS (Kalimat Larangan)

Kalimat larangan (Negative Commands) dimulai dengan ” Don’t + Infinitive – tanpa – to “ jika tidak ada kata kerja, kita menggunakan “ Don’t be + Adjectives “

Contoh :

1.      Don’t make noise!

2.      Don’t read this letter!

3.      Don’t lock the door!

4.      Don’t be naughty!

5.      Don’t be angry!

Source : http://hikmawandiny.blogspot.com/2014/01/affirmative-and-negative-agreement.htm

Source : http://fnflife.blogspot.com/2010/07/affirmative-negative-aggrement.html

Source: http://hikmawandiny.blogspot.com/2014/01/affirmative-and-negative-agreement.html

Source: http://english-structure-patt-polinema.blogspot.com/2011/04/negation.html

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